We are a premium doggy day care in San Francisco that provides individualized care so your precious pup can make lifelong furry friends.

Who We Are

PlayBow Dog Daycare

As our name suggests, we are passionate about safe and fun doggie day care. A "playbow" is a downward stance or posture used by dogs to signal friendly intentions, incite play or continue play behavior.

Canine Specialists

All of our Canine Specialists undergo extensive learning and training for dog safety in an off-leash environment. Learning begins with a 20+ hour training program developed by The Dog Gurus, followed by close supervision from more senior Canine Specialists. Our senior Canine Specialists are experienced dog trainers who have attended the Trish King Academy of Dog Behavior, as well as numerous other dog training classes and seminars.

Lindesay Greene, General Manager, is a graduate of the Trish King Academy of Dog Behavior, and has over 15 years of animal care experience — working at a local zoo, fostering rescues, and supervising multiple daycare and overnight facilities.

Raymond Yu, PlayBow Artist, is a graduate of the Trish King Academy of Dog Behavior, and has extensive experience working at local shelters and daycare facilities.

Amara O., Canine Specialist, is a student at SF State who cared for a Dogue de Bordeaux ever since puppyhood. She has completed the Dog Gurus' training program, and is dedicated to improving our communities through non-profit work.

Jennifer L., Canine Specialist, is a graduate of UC Davis who spent much of her free time at the Sacramento SPCA training shelter dogs. She has completed the Dog Gurus' safety program, as well as numerous courses in animal biology and zoology.

Thalia A., Canine Specialist, is the proud parent of a Malti-Poo mix. She is passionate about theater, and enjoys learning from the dramatic antics of dogs. She has completed the Dog Gurus' safety program, and has a keen eye for sanitation and keeping PlayBow clean.

what we do

Daycare

Our daycare service is tailored to the needs of your dog. Some dogs need maximum play time, while others prefer neighborhood walks, while others love to work for food as part of our daily training games. When it's time for group play, we carefully select playmates who are a good fit for your dog. This matchmaking service is the key to introducing your precious pup to lifelong furry friends.

Our daycare service also includes a $500 Medical Emergency Action Plan. This provides payment of veterinary bills up to $500 for injuries caused as a direct result of attending daycare.

Sleepovers

Our overnight sleepovers provide our guests with a full day of daycare. At the end of the long play day, our guests spend the night in the home of our Canine Specialists, where they will have accommodations similar to their own homes. Upon sunrise, our guests return to PlayBow for another fun-filled day of games and play.

Bathing

We provide basic bathing services for our daycare guests. This includes baths, brush outs, and deshedding. Please inquire in advance to check for availability of bathing services.

Where We Play

Our facility is located between SF State and City College at 1410 Ocean Ave — just a few minutes off I-280. We are currently offering a delivery taxi service for certain neighborhoods. Please call or email us for details.

We feature two separate playrooms — one for small dogs, and one for larger dogs. The playrooms are equipped with extra thick foam mats to provide plenty of cushioning for your dog's running, jumping, wrestling, and lazy down time.

When We Play

Parents can drop off their dogs as early as 7AM and pick up their dogs as late as 7PM Monday thru Friday. From 7PM to 8PM, a late fee of $20 applies. Weekend sleepovers are available by appointment.

Why We Play

We want to give dogs in our neighborhood the best possible quality of life. To achieve that, our goal is to provide the very best in Play, Practice, and Peace of Mind.

PLAY — Play is a key component to a healthy and happy dog. Play naturally provides exercise and safe socialization with other dogs, which can greatly enhance your dog's quality of life.

PRACTICE — Practice makes perfect. At PlayBow, we help with practicing your dog's basic obedience training, and the social skills needed for safe interactions with other dogs.

PEACE OF MIND — We do all that we do so you can rest assured that your dog is safe and enjoying its stay while you're away.

How We Play

Matchmaking

At PlayBow, we recognize that there are just as many dog personalities as there are people personalities. To help each dog feel as comfortable as possible with his or her playmates, we keep playgroups small, and closely monitor each dog's body language. Rather than lump together all large dogs, and all small dogs, we get to know each dog's personality, who their best friends are, and play matchmaker.

Safety Requirements

Safety Assessment Test

Every dog attending daycare, sleepovers, or Happy Hours must pass our Safety Assessment Test (SAT). The SAT is an all-day evaluation of a new dog. We keep an SAT dog for an entire day so we can fully evaluate their behavior over the course of a full day’s schedule. The SAT covers three areas:

Friendliness with our staff;

Friendliness and play style with other dogs; and

General good health for off-leash interactions with other dogs.

For more information about scheduling your dog's first day, visit our How to Enroll page.

Health

To promote the continued health of our guests, we require vaccination records and the continued use of a flea and tick preventative. The required vaccinations are: Rabies, Bordetella, and Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza (DHPP). We also require the Leptospirosis vaccine as well as the H3N2 and H3N8 canine influenza vaccines. If you prefer to limit your dog's exposure to vaccines, annual titers provided by a Bay Area veterinarian are also acceptable. Please inquire about vaccination requirements for young puppies who have not completed their booster shots.

In general, all adult dogs over 1 year old should be spayed or neutered to attend daycare. If you have concerns about spaying or neutering your dog, feel free to contact us.

Size Limits

To keep our playgroups safe and manageable, high-energy dogs enrolling in daycare should be 55 lbs or less. Dogs over 55 lbs are still eligible to take our Safety Assessment Test, but will likely only pass if they are calm and mild-mannered dogs.

Refund Policy

We aim to deliver the best doggie daycare experience for you and your dog. If for any reason you are not satisfied with any of our services, please let us know and ask for a refund. We will provide a complete 100% refund for any services rendered within the last 30 days.

Our Facility

To see recent photos of our dogs at play, visit our Photo Gallery, or follow us on Instagram.To schedule a tour of our facility, please call or email us.